I’ve been covering the arts in Western New England for three decades, and I’m consistently amazed at the bounty of performances, the creativity, and the talent that emerges from our area theatres and concert halls every year. Our region has a bustling creative economy, and we’ve become an incubator for performing arts that go on to productions nationally.

As the arts found their new normal post-pandemic, Williamstown Theatre Festival returned to a season of plays and musicals. A new venue, 52 Sumner, opened in Springfield and became home to the Springfield Chamber Players. And, Massachusetts recognized cultural districts in Holyoke and Westfield, the latter due in part to the heroic efforts of Bill Westerlind to champion community arts.